Discover answers to your questions with Westonci.ca, the leading Q&A platform that connects you with knowledgeable experts. Ask your questions and receive accurate answers from professionals with extensive experience in various fields on our platform. Get precise and detailed answers to your questions from a knowledgeable community of experts on our Q&A platform.

Explain why neon is monatomic but chlorine is diatomic.

Sagot :

Chlorine is a halogen and all halogens and oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are diatomics

Explanation:

Neon is in group 8/0, which means that it has a full outer shell. Atoms react to get a full outer shell but as neon already has a full outer shell, it doesn't react and stays monatomic.

However, chlorine is in group 7, so it needs 1 more electron to complete its outer shell, two chlorine atom share one electron each with each other so they have full outer shells. This is why chlorine is diatomic.